Scrapbook of Memories
by TsumetaiYuuki
Summary: Clips in time, moments of friendship, love, family.  Unrelated one-shots, with different themes and pairings with a letter of the alphabet per drabble. NejiTen, GaaNaru, SakuLee, SasuNaru, gen, etc.
1. A is for Apple Pies

**~Apple Pies~**

They were on a simple mission. It was just reconnaissance, nothing really dangerous or risky, besides the fact that you had to be inconspicious and make sure that no one noticed your presence.

This was something that Hyuuga Neji was good at. Despite the fact that he was a Hyuuga, and that made it almost impossible for anyone to ignore him, especially outside of Konoha, he had spent his childhood keeping quiet, and watching, waiting for a time to finally strike back against the clan that had killed his father.

That, though, was another story. The point being, that Neji was good at what he did. So when the Hokage had asked them to go on a mission into enemy territory, just to check everything out and make sure that there were no suspicious plots against his home and meet with an ally, the duo had agreed. His partner had looked hesitant, but nodded anyways after his acceptance, and Neji couldn't figure out for the life of him why.

'She doesn't have a birthday of a family member, not her own birthday, it's not the day her mother died, none of our friends' birthday, no weddings, births...' Neji ran through a long list of possible events that could irk his...friend.

He had placed it in the back of his mind when they began the mission, however. It wouldn't do for him to prioritize his own emotions and thoughts and get the two of them killed in the process.

Everything had gone peacefully, and three days later, successfully in their rendezvous point with the spy that was situated there, Tenten and Neji had set up camp. Mere seconds after they were finished, the girl with brunette hair in two buns excused herself, and left quickly before Neji could follow her.

So now he was staring up at the stars, feeling much like a certain lazy pineapple hair shaped ninja friend of his. "What could possibly be taking her so long?" Neji asked the stars, not expecting an answer. When he got one, he jumped up, pulling out a kunai as he did so.

"Whoa! Relax, Neji, kunais can be pointy!" Tenten exclaimed, putting her hands out in front of her.

"Tenten. Where were you?" he asked, scowling.

Neatly pulling out one of the scrolls that she kept in a loop on her belt, Tenten performed a few hand seals and released something that wafted a sweet, flour oriented smell.

"Don't tell me that you forgot what today was," she stated, glaring at him fiercely.

Swallowing, Neji began combing his mind for something, _anything_, that would keep him alive throughout whatever misunderstanding this was.

"...no?"

To his surprise, Tenten didn't murder him, but smiled softly instead. Handing the warm object in her hand, wrapped in a napkin, she said, "Tanjoubii omedetto (_happy birthday_), Neji."

Hiding his look of surprise, he accepted the pastry in her hands. "Thank you," Neji murmured.

She nodded, before grinning brightly. "I can't believe you forgot your own birthday, you idiot!"

Feeling a scowl come to his face again, Neji glared at her.

"Hai, hai."

Neji beckoned for her to sit down, and split the pastry carefully in half. Offering half to her, he was surprised when she declined. Tenten, who had a fond sweet tooth despite her fierce disposition?

"It's your birthday gift. I was going to bake something myself, but then the mission came up, so..." Tenten trailed off.

"Ah. Thank you."

"It's no problem. By the way, do you even know what you're eating, or are you just referring to it as 'the pastry' in your mind?" Tenten teased.

Looking at Neji's shocked expression, her mouth dropped. "You really dubbed it 'the pastry' in your head?" Giggling, she continued, "It's an apple pie. I ventured into the city, and apparently it's a pretty popular Western dessert. It has apples and cinnamon, and tastes heavenly."

"Ah."

"Articulate, aren't you?"

"Hn."

"...I can see why Naruto and Sakura could get so annoyed. Now eat it! I didn't buy it for you to stare at."

"Tenten."

"Yes?"

"You went into enemy territory for a pastry?"

"Ah...ha...yes?"

Neji glared at her.

"I was perfectly safe. Now eat your stupid _pastry_!"

The Hyuuga scowled at her, but bit handheld apple pie. Surprisingly, it wasn't too sweet for his taste. His dislike of sweets was almost as notorious as Tenten's fondness of them.

"It's good. Thanks."

Tenten merely nodded, and smiled at him. Slipping her hand naturally into his (the one not holding the pie, of course), she leaned back.

"The stars are pretty tonight, aren't they?"

Neji could think of something much prettier and brighter right next to him, but he nodded. "Hm..."

The duo sat there, late into the night, even after Neji consumed the last bite of the apple pie Tenten had sought out for him.

**And done. Please do drop a comment, and let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (applies to rest of the story). **


	2. B is for Bumblebees

**~Bumblebees~**

It was a bright and sunny day. Hang on. That's too cliche and overrated of a start. Correction: It was a dark and dreary day. That's too...depressing. Happy day? Warm day? Dry? Lovely? Forget it. It was a day.

In one of the parks of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata were sitting under a large tree, with a blanket under them and a small picnic basket by their sides. The shy Hyuuga heiress had finally worked up the courage to ask her revered idol out, though Naruto had taken the offer up as a friend, and not in any romantic point of view.

Nevertheless, Hinata was positively ecstatic. She had packed two bentos, making each onigiri in them meticulously, and spent yesterday drifting around on a high cloud of happiness.

The duo had met in the park, and, cerulean eyes sparkling, Naruto had complimented her on the carefully made lunch. Hyuuga Hinata had never felt so incredibly happy.

That was, until a small buzzing noise was heard, and Naruto-kun began screaming and ran off in the other direction.

Feeling rather hurt, Hinata looked up to see what would warrant such loud exclamations and running. She didn't do anything...

"Naruto-kun? D–Daij–joubu (_are you all right_)?" she stuttered out, blushing a light crimson.

When she saw a flash of blond hair in the tree above her, she realized that Naruto had _climbed the tree_ to get away from her.

Feeling tears come to her lavender eyes, she murmured, "You don't want to have lunch with me? You could've told me instead of running away."

Eyes widening, Naruto dropped back down gingerly. "It's not that Hinata-chan, it's just that–" Before he could finish his sentence, he yelled again, and hid behind Hinata.

The girl raised an eyebrow, though mentally.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?"

"The bee."

"The bee?"

"Yup. Bumblebees are scary, and after I discovered I had a bit of an allergic reaction when stung...multiple times..." he trailed off.

"Oh," Hinata answered.

"Sorry. I have to go now, before the bee comes back. I'm really sorry about this, Hinata-chan," Naruto apologized Sincerely.

Hinata felt a twitch of annoyance. "If the bee leaves, you can stay, Naruto-kun?"

The blond nodded hesitantly at Hinata's sweet tone. "We could always meet up again..."

"No," Hinata murmured softly. "I'll...take care of the bee."

Naruto watched with wide innocent eyes as Hinata turned around to face the small creature buzzing around. Seconds later, the little thing hightailed out of the park as fast as it could fly.

The high school student watched incredulously with wide eyes as sweet little Hinata turned back to face him, and smiled. "Did you like the onigiri fillings? I have some dessert too, if you're done."

Mentally, Naruto reminded himself that Hyuuga Hinata was related to the infamous Hyuuga Neji, who was rumored to have made a grown man run screaming. Then again, it was just a rumor, right?

Watching lavender eyes smile at him, he decided that he wasn't going to be trying anything that would appear to be provoking anytime soon.

**Inspiration is really running lately...as usual, please do review. **


	3. C is for Cross Dressing

**~Cross Dressing~**

"No way in he–"

Neji was interrupted by Tenten before he could wreck the innocence of any children that may be near by and make their parents eternally enraged. Which was unlikely, because they were crouching in a bush in the middle of nowhere.

"Why not?" she asked, pretending as if the thing she was asking him to do was completely out of the ordinary.

"Why not?" he spluttered, looking more enraged by the second. "I'll tell you why not!"

He ignored her quiet murmur of, "You should talk more softly...we are on a mission here."

"Not a single mission detail mentioned that I had to dress up as...as...and why do I have to do it? You're a girl to begin with, and Naruto here can turn into a girl for goodness sakes! Why do I need to...to...cross dress?" Neji's voice was rapidly escalating.

"Because," Tenten replied sensibly, "this might end up in violence, and I can't go in carrying a bunch of weapons. As much as I hate to admit it, my taijutsu is not as good as yours, nor my ninjutsu...but if you care to bring that up again, I'll show you how good I am with my darling weapons...Besides, you're physically stronger, as a male. You should be going in to defend us _poor helpless maidens_." She smirked.

"And if Naruto turns into a girl, there goes his masculinity...the same issue as before. You're better at forceful things, so you get to do it!"

As for Naruto, he was just adamantly tuning out the duo, well aware of what might happen if he paid the slightest inkling of attention to either of them. Despite the jabs at his masculinity, the alternative could be much worse...

"So why can't I just go in as a male?" Neji glared at his female teammate.

"You're walking into a stripper bar," Tenten explained sweetly. "It would work better if you looked female." She gained a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "And if you don't change into this lovely outfit, I'll stick you up full of senbon, and make sure that you won't be a man for much longer!"

Neji grimaced. "Fine." He grabbed the ridiculously...frilly...clothing, and stalked behind a tree. Pulling it on briskly, he walked back.

Naruto muffled back a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

The Hyuuga glared, and ignored the fact that the effect was probably gone because he was dressed in a pink dress with bows and a bonnet.

"Where did you even get this ridiculous outfit?" Neji hissed at Tenten. "This is just purely idiotic."

"Aw, but you look so cute!" Tenten smiled.

"Why in the world would I walk into a stripper bar dressed in frills?" Neji's voice was beginning to take on a hysterical tone.

"You wouldn't," Tenten replied simply, snapping a series of quick pictures before her words could register to the boy dressed in feminine clothing.

'What?' Neji's mind began screaming in alarm bell tones at him, but before he could snatch the camera from her grasp, Tenten had disappeared into the trees.

"You mean...Neji dressed up as a girl for nothing? And we don't even have a mission?" Naruto looked incredibly amused, though he too disappeared into the forest before Neji could give him a good 'poke' to the stomach.

"You guys..." Neji was starting to look murderous. Scratch that. He passed murderous when he figured out that Tenten has him _crossdress_ for her personal amusement.

"Hey there. Wanna join me for a drink, miss?" a rather unfortunate bandit asked, having crept up to the Hyuuga while he was fuming.

"You...you...," Neji seemed at a loss for words, and merely fixated a sharp glare onto the poor man.

"I know, I'm too wonderful for words," the idiotic person claimed.

"You..."

"I get it. I'm absolutely perfect, and I've rendered you speechless." Apparently this particular bandit was either supremely narcissistic or stupid, or both, but the 'I'm going to kill you' gleam in Neji's eyes didn't register for him.

"Hakke Hyaku–"

The man was starting to realize he was in deep trouble...

"Nijuuhachi Shou!"

He promptly fell into a neat heap on the floor. A spiteful looking Neji made sure that he was down with an extra spin kick (totally unnecessary) to his abdomen.

Let it be said that no one teased Hyuuga Neji about his masculinity again therefore on.

**This is dedicated to all the **_**lovely**_** people that my friend interviewed with the question: Crossdressing or chess games? Especially those that answered crossdressing and completely messed up my plot for a chess game between Neji and Sasuke...**

**Anyways, thanks for reading!**


	4. D is for Dandelions

**~Dandelions~**

'He was,' the raven mused, 'much like a dandelion, in many ways.'

The dark-haired teen stared after his grinning blond best friend, when that odd thought came into mind. Disregarding the fact that said blond had stunningly bright yellow hair, there were other ways in which he resembled a dandelion, though it was probably not a flower most wanted to be compared with.

The raven honestly, and with utterly no malice, thought that the blond seemed like a dandelion.

He was often thought of as a pest, as something 'bad', as something that should be exterminated. Though all of his friends knew better, there were still a few that were blinded by hatred, and simply refused to see the good that was done.

He was strong. In ways that the raven couldn't even imagine, the blond was very, very strong. In spite of the hurt that had occurred, the pain that would have to be fought against, the dislike and hatred that had to be borne, it was hard to knock him down, and even harder to prevent him from standing up again. Like a dandelion, forever withstanding the elements that gardeners and nature threw at it.

He was determined. Things that blocked his way, that tried to stop him, were promptly overcome by sheer strength of will.

And he was helpful and kind. Despite the views that others held him in, the contempt that was given from many, he continued to help, continued to give and care though he often received nothing in return.

Like a dandelion, whose good aspects were forgotten, whose helpful traits were pushed aside in favor of the traits that were less favorful.

And, like a dandelion, he was a breath of fresh air, something novel, something to discover; a dandelion, whose beauty was hidden by its small flaws and faults, but was ultimately found by a smiling child on a hot summer day and blown at, seeds drifting gently in the breeze.

A dandelion: underappreciated, yet always working, always helping, despite the difficulties it faced.

So, when the raven unexpectedly told his friend, "You're like a dandelion, you know, dobe?", he wasn't all that surprised to be faced with a stunned look, and then a bright, happy smile.

"Teme!"

The smile, however, one of gratitude and understanding, was one that Uchiha Sasuke would never forget.

**I like this one. When I thought of the word dandelion, Naruto came to mind. This is, if you didn't notice, about Sasuke and Naruto, a short little friendship ficlet, I suppose. The fact that Naruto is always so determined despite the difficulties thrown at him is very admirable, and I just had to dedicate a little ficlet to him. This is one of my better ficlets, and one that was very interesting to write.**


	5. E is for Emotions

**~Emotions~**

Aburame Shino was, more often than not, described as stoic, silent, unmoving, taciturn, emotionless. He was a solid presence, someone that was undoubtedly there, but often too silent to notice.

However, Hyuuga Hinata couldn't believe that anyone could be more wrong.

How could Aburame be emotionless if every one of his actions showed so much of himself, of his soul?

The lavender eyed heiress didn't know. Perhaps it was just her, but Shino was, with no doubt, not an emotionless person.

After all, every little motion, little shift in mood, Hinata noticed. Ever perceptive, after years as the bug user's teammate, she was now ever vigilant to his small idiosyncracies, however unnoticeable to most.

The light tapping motions of the fingers, symbolizing worry, anxiousness, restlessness, and just a hint of fright, shown when Kiba was brought back after a harrowing mission, injured.

The small movements of shifting of weight from leg to leg, near imperceptible, that showed Shino was impatient, annoyed, and wanted to go back to his solitude, his bugs, when placed on the spot by any one of his friends.

The tugging of his high collar, when he felt particularly shy, reclusive, and uncomfortable; this action was shown when someone payed a rare, yet well deserved compliment.

Pale fingers, pushing up his dark shades, showing a sense of fulfillment, of a rare moment of arrogance and pride after a special, triumphant moment.

Hands stuck into his pockets and barely noticeable hint of a smile behind his usual clothing when amused, however far and in between that emotion seemed to appear – mostly when surrounded by friends and those he cared about, despite no outwardly obvious sign.

Head bowed ever so minutely, eyes – barely noticeable behind the heavy sunglasses – downcast when mourning, when upset, when sad.

And an utterly unusual, completely still Shino, with a relaxed posture, meant that he was joyous, and incredibly happy. However, this was a very unusual gesture, one that even Hinata had only noticed twice in the entire time she knew Shino.

Nevertheless, Hinata couldn't understand it when people commented on how quiet, how unresponsive the Aburames seemed to be.

Was it possible that they didn't notice this particular family showed their emotions with body language, with a shift, a touch, a shrug, instead of endless words?

Apparently so, for when she overheard a villager commenting on how very silent the bug using clan was, even Hyuuga Hinata couldn't suppress a soft, tinkling sound of laughter, the sound of delicate wind chimes in a cool breeze.

**That was fun to write! I've always thought that those conceived as silent and quiet are actually the most expressive, and the most true to themselves. Keyword being 'conceived' as quiet. If you really look, and observe, you may see that some thought of as closed off are really actually very emotional! Anyways, as always, thanks for reading!**


	6. F is for Fall

**~Fall~**

Fall was Yuuhi Kurenai's favorite season, even when she was a small toddling child, playing in the brightly colored drifting leaves, throwing blunted kunai through them.

Now, years later, the crimson eyed woman couldn't help but think of how appropriate the season was for herself, her past, her future, her very being.

There were times in which she wondered why she didn't detest the very mention of the season, for it was during this time years ago that she lost one of the most important people in her life. And yet, for awhile, she did.

She fell into a storm of grief during that time for two years, the one in which Sarutobi Asuma had died, and once again a year afterwards, with a small infant by her side.

Nevertheless, when she saw her toddling child, playing in the leaves one breezy day with Nara Shikamaru by the little Sarutobi, she was reminded of why she loved the season.

Every year on, for years afterwards, Yuuhi Kurenai would make sure that she always had time to play with the child on the chilly, colorful, leaf-covered days that was autumn, that was fall, at least once a week.

It wasn't until little Akiko wasn't so little anymore, and they no longer played in the drifting leaves, yet still they upheld what had become a tradition, that Kurenai realized why she treasured this season so, perhaps even more so after her loss.

Though fall was a season of death, of falling leaves and chilly winds, it was also a season of great beauty, a different style of beauty than the new life of spring. It was a time of color, of happiness, of companionship and warming emotions, of memories made, an era in which there was love and care and overwhelming sensations that overpowered the death and fluttering cold, that made autumn all the more special.

It was the fact that people could be happy, that though there was loss, there was never truly separation: there was always the hope of another meeting, another chance, another small moment.

Which was why when Akiko asked why her name was what it was when she was a summer baby all those years ago, Kurenai smiled warmly at her child and told her that it was because she was the light that symbolized endurance, love, and hope. The little girl had seemed confused all those years ago, but had noticed in her mother's features an affection second to none, and accepted the answer easily.

And when she thought about it, Kurenai noticed that Sarutobi Asuma himself had been like fall: even in the face of loss and death, had left pleasant and endearing memories, a trail of love and care, and a little ray of hope and light for the crimson eyed woman.

As she watched the multi-colored leaves fall gently to the floor in a cloud of muted red, orange, brown, and yellow on an autumn evening, walking down the street, Kurenai reminisced.

It wasn't until Akiko, no longer a child, caught up to her and gently said, "Uncle Shika and I made dinner. Come in and have some," that Kurenai smiled at the girl and walked, hand in hand, back to the house that they shared.

Yes, fall was the best season, at least in Yuuhi Kurenai's eyes.

**Mm, I've been really satisfied with my muse lately...though she seems to be very angsty and depressing. This was just begging to be written. I'm sort of waiting for it to die when Monday comes...so...I'm working on tons of stuff for the moment. I'm not exactly when Asuma died, so I sort of manipulated the timing to fit my story line. As for Akiko, it means autumn child, which I think is nice. Masashi Kishimoto mentioned in an interview (online source, at least) that he might make Kurenai's and Asuma's child female so...Akiko was born! As always, thanks for reading!**


	7. G is for Green

**~Green~**

Despite what many may believe, Rock Lee's favorite color was not, in fact, green.

Oh, it was usually assumed, Lee knew, because of his vibrant choice in clothing. However, in spite of the fact that green did hold a special place in his heart, forever etched as something important, it was not the color that he liked best simply because of its characteristics.

Green was the color of Haruno Sakura's eyes. And though it sounded ridiculously sappy, the sight of the emerald shade of green would always bring a soft smile, completely sincere and not as boisterous as usual, to his lips. Perhaps it was just puppy love, though Lee doubted so, but he knew for sure the pinkette's intelligence and sheer determination was something that he would always hold in high regard when speaking of Sakura.

Green was also the color of Maito Gai, one of the first to have acknowledged him. It was well known that he had little talent in ninjutsu and genjutsu because of damaged chakra coils, but Lee had persevered in the face of scorn and vindictive laughter from his peers.

When he became part of Team Gai, it appeared that his sensei noticed that, and became the first to praise him, to encourage him, even so far as to dress him in a similar style and fashion, bolstering Lee in the rare times in which he was down.

Even though a green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers would not have been the first image that would have come to mind if someone asked a younger Lee about his future visage, it was one that he was proud of, if only because it represented the faith that his teacher had in him, a faith that no one had given him before.

Green was the color of his recognition, the color of support, of care, of love, and of new beginnings for the ninja. It was the color that would always be the most treasured in his heart, the one that he would always adore the most, for it would forever be the color of what had become one of the most important people in his life, his teacher, his mentor, his friend, his father figure.

Yet, green was not Lee's favorite color. A favorite was a thing regarded with special preference. While green would be a very important and treasured color in Lee's life, it was one that he wouldn't have picked for his clothing choice if it wasn't for the fact that it reminded him of the new chance he was given, and inspired him to work that much harder.

So when he was asked to appear in front of an Academy class by an _extremely_ tentative Umino Iruka – Lee had a feeling that it was because every other ninja above genin level in the village was busy... – and he found himself asked a question by a courageous student who had chosen to speak up, his answer was unexpected.

"What's your favorite color, ninja-san?" a child inquired politely.

Iruka, who was standing by the doorway (technically, he could have been the interviewee, but he had a feeling that wouldn't bide well for the overly eager students, who were all closely familiar with the scary teacher), winced slightly, and wondered how a ninja could survive if he couldn't notice obvious details, very worried for his student.

Lee was, of course, dressed in his customary green monstrosity of a jumpsuit.

"I adore the color navy blue," Lee replied softly, in a tone that Umino Iruka had never heard from his ex-student before.

The children of the Academy accepted this answer easily, but Yamanaka Ino, who had stepped in to hand some documents to Iruka-sensei, screeched a loud, "WHAATT?"

**Hehe, this was fun. I tried to make it amusing yet serious at the same time, did I succeed? Please drop a comment, thanks for reading!**


	8. H is for Hana

**~Hana~**

Yamanaka Ino knew a thing or two about flowers, a knowledge that was derived from far more than just a girl's love for the beauty that is the hana (_flower_). As the daughter of a pair of famous florists in Konoha, despite the fact that one of them used to be the Head of Interrogation for the Hokage, she often helped out around the shop, and in turned learned the language of flowers.

So when she received a bouquet, one that she did not pack herself, she was much intrigued. Upon further inspection, it was from her boyfriend, and teammate, Akimichi Chouji. But no, that wasn't the reason that Ino was so surprised by the bouquet.

The real reason was because the flowers consisted of white carnations sprinkled with baby's breath. While baby's breath was a common choice, the little things that nestled softly with most bouquet choices, though most often used with red roses, the white carnations were an odd choice.

In fact, most white flowers were. White flowers were most often bought as bouquets for the dead, and for funerals. The fact that Ino had received such a selection of flowers worried her slightly, for usually the florists would tell those ignorant of the language of flowers about the meanings of their selections.

For once, she decided to ask her mother, the expert florist, before doing anything rash. Chouji could be very sweet, but was sometimes confused when it came to the more delicate matters such as this. It wouldn't do to misunderstand his kind-heartedness for anything malicious.

So she had approached Yamanaka-san, and had asked her mother quietly why she had sold Chouji white carnations – for it was their store's insignia on the wrapping, and it was her mother that wrapped it if Ino had not.

Yamanaka-san had smiled softly at her, before answering, "Did you ever read the Western version of the language of flowers?"

Ino had shook her head, and answered, "It seemed the same, or at least mostly."

The woman had laughed, though it was a laughter that was meant to be shared, not one that was making fun of her daughter. "It is, mostly. There are a few unique differences. The most obvious is the Westerners' view on the color white. We think of it as death, as misfortune. While that may be true for many cases, the Westerners believe that white symbolizes purity, among others. You know that baby's breath means everlasting love, right?"

Ino blushed, and nodded.

"For the Westerners, and a concept that we have adopted sometimes, white carnations symbolize things sweet and lovely, innocence, and pure love."

The girl blinked, before a brilliant smile reached her face. "That's why you let Chouji give me white flowers!"

Ino's mother smiled. "Of course. Actually, it was he that suggested it. He had read in a book about the Western and Eastern concepts of white flowers, and he thought that it would be nice to gift you white flowers, for your loveliness and innocence."

The blonde blushed a light pink yet again, and smiled. "Thank you," she told her mother softly, before walking back into the shop.

The next morning, Akimichi Chouji found a single red rose in full bloom on his doorstep, and he grinned.

_Thank you, I love you._

**I've always been intrigued with the language of the flowers. Such a mysterious beauty that could show many things. Word of advice: don't give a friend yellow roses for their birthday (my dad...ah, lovely innocence; they symbolize jealousy and ending of romantic relationships), or orange lilies (hatred). I don't really know all about this, but I really love the things that flowers can say. Thanks for reading!**


	9. I is for Iris

**~Iris~**

Hyuuga Neji would never admit it, but he hadn't always hated the Hyuuga heiress, even before the Chunnin match against Uzumaki Naruto.

The two cousins had played together as children, ever since they were old enough to toddle of into the world. Neji had been a capable user of the Hyuugas' taijutsu and doujutsu by the time he was three; and though he couldn't take on more than a genin, he was expected to protect the Hyuuga heiress with his life.

And yet Neji had bore no grudge against his sweet, smiling cousin. They had played together, practically as siblings, until Hinata's third birthday, and the death of his father, along with the realization of the evildoers of the Hyuuga clan of Elders.

Yet after that, there were instances when he took pity on the younger girl, when he saw his playmate suddenly looking lost and confused after he treated her coldly and with scorn. And no matter how hard Neji tried to detest Hinata with all of his heart, he was only able to exhibit the blinding hatred: he was never able to truly dislike the innocent girl.

Such an instance occurred in a mere playground fight, when the Branch member was ordered to protect the Heiress as she went out and played. Hinata had shyly asked her brother figure if he would play with her, but Neji had turned her down harshly, and looked away, leaving to watch from the shadows even as her eyes watered.

Nevertheless, after several minutes of sad eyes and dripping tears, she had gone off the play in the flowers, her favorite spot. Flower pressing was always a favorite activity of Hinata's, and one that Neji used to tolerate when running with her through the woods. That was, before her kidnapping, and when their friendship fell apart, along with any freedom Hinata had.

Either way, she was picking flowers gently and neatly folding them up into a cloth when a girl had walked up to her. Neji had been on guard, but relaxed when the girl merely offered to play with Hinata.

That was, until five minutes later, the Hyuuga girl burst out into tears. Or rather, sniffled and let warm tears cascade down her cheeks. Hinata was never a bold child, even in crying.

Neji had, despite his better logical reasoning, jumped up and chased away the offensive girl immediately, kneeling down beside Hinata, and digging out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

"What happened?" he asked, angry at whatever made the girl cry, even if she was the heiress, and he a Branch member.

"She...she...–" Hiccup. "–said that my eyes...were...were...weird!" Hinata sobbed, too sweet to even wonder why the other girl would say such a thing.

Neji suppressed a sigh, aware of his cousin's incredibly gentle and sensitive personality.

"Hinata-sama."

"Don't call me that, Neji-niisan!"

The little boy scowled. "That is your position."

Hinata bawled harder.

"Hinata."

"Hai?" she stopped crying and looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Our eyes are who we are. Our pale irises represent our identity as Hyuugas, and they are nothing to be ashamed off. The Byakugan is a doujutsu to be carried with great pride, not shame."

Even If Neji knew that it was this very doujutsu that had caused him and so many others pain, he couldn't help but be proud of his heritage, even if he was filled with contempt for the way the Elders used this power.

"Honto (_really_)?" Hinata said softly.

"Yes."

And together the two of them sat there, and for at least a while, forgot the evils of the world, the events that brought two cousins, two friends, apart. They forgot the pains that their birth had brought them, and reveled in the comforting warmth of companionship, and of friendship.

**Little Neji and Hinata are so cute, (: Long-ish drabble. Thanks for reading.**


	10. J is for Juxtaposition

**~Juxtaposition~**

The name Uchiha Sasuke invoked fear in many. The enemies of Konohagakure trembled at the very mention of the powerful ninja, and even some of his own teammates were afraid of the explosive raven.

Uzumaki Naruto also invoked fear, perhaps even greater than the name of the raven, even if he would argue against that to Jupiter and back.

However, it wasn't until one faced the visages of both the ANBU captain, and the blond Hokage in juxtaposition, that enemies would surrender immediately upon the mere mention of the two most skillful, in terms of power and experience, ninjas in the Leaf.

Then again, one probably wouldn't mention that when fighting Hyuuga Neji across a battlefield, but you know what I mean...

And however odd it was tor the kage of a village to actually be going on missions, Naruto managed to convince Sakura, his advisor, that sitting at a desk for years upon years would just get him in an awful mood.

So, though it usually wasn't necessary, Sasuke and Naruto often went on duo missions.

That, and Naruto loved to appear in front of the enemy with a blaze of fire, and a bright smile. It really freaked them out, so Sasuke thought that it was sort of worth it too.

Nevertheless, it sort of frightened their ANBU teammates when they noticed that both their kage and their captain was on the same team with them...which greatly messed up their concentration.

Sasuke would hate to say so, but the image of everyone running away from them was the most amusing thing that he'd ever seen, in a sadistic fashion, of course.

**So short...couldn't really think of a J though, so...whatever, (: Thanks for reading!**


	11. K is for Kunai

**~Kunai~**

Sabaku no Gaara cursed colorfully. Or rather, would have, if he didn't have some sort of decorum to uphold, both as the Kazekage of Suna and as an indifferent man overall. As it was, he gave an impressive glare to the bane of his troubles.

"Hey, I'm trying!" Naruto, aforementioned pain in the neck, protested.

As for why the redhead was cursing the blond, or rather, wishing to, it was clearly visible to all present to see. The ninjas were currently seated cross-legged on the floor of a clearing, Naruto behind is friend with a sharp object.

And no, he was not trying to assassinate the kage and start a war. That would not have ended well, for either the two villages or Naruto's mentality.

The two of them were on a mission, a long one. As for what might have required the combined efforts of two kages, it was something that the blond Hokage would not have done if given the choice. They were doing reconnaissance and treaty work, going throughout the villages to make sure that everything was going smoothly and no attempts were being made against their homes. And, of course, eliminate any threat that might arise.

Though as for why the redhead was actually glaring at Naruto was because, after such a long standing mission, Gaara's red locks were starting to get in the way, and he was incredibly annoyed about that. And it wasn't like he could just waltz into a barber shop, as himself, or even with a disguise, really; most villages that they would encounter on their path had protections against that.

And so, Gaara, in a fierce attempt to get rid of the too short to be tied up, too long to be comfortable, locks of crimson hair, had resorted to a kunai. And as skilled with those sharp throwing knives as ninjas typically were, that was the whole point: _most_ ninjas and _throwing_ knives.

Gaara's training specialized in manipulating his sand. Also, coordinating with kunais while not being a weapons master (or mistress), was not the easiest thing to do.

So poor Gaara was stuck with having his blond friend cut his hair for him. He just needed the hairstyle to be serviceable, not great looking, but even the (in)famously stoic man was cautious about letting Naruto near him with a pointy object.

And he was very right to be cautious, for Naruto had already grazed him with the kunai three times in the past minute, and fell not a single strand of red hair.

Gaara was definitely getting annoyed.

How could someone be a complete and utter genius, a prodigy to say the least, on the battlefield, and a horrible idiot anywhere else?

**This little thing came into mind when I was thinking of something for 'K', and wondering how the ninjas cut their hair...especially since my long hair can get so inconventional and inconvenient while I do normal, mundane things...**


	12. L is for Light

**~Light~**

Despite what most people may think, there were, in fact, a few people in his life that Sabaku no Gaara did tolerate, even sincerely appreciate. And as he watched horror stricken as one of those important people crumpled neatly into a heap with a sharp cry, taking the kunai meant for him because Gaara himself was unable to do anything without the two ninjas surrounding him attacking, Gaara felt a shard of sharp hatred run through him, cooling his veins.

The redhead leaped into action, instantly incapacitating the two shinobi at the same time, and successfully retrieving the gourd that had been stolen from him. Taking down another two, Gaara hissed at the remaining one not on the floor, having been struck down by him or his companion, and neatly launched a perfectly sharpened senbon, straight into the man's jugular.

After ensuring that every one of the enemy shinobi were unable to attack, either being severely wounded or dead, Gaara dropped to his knees beside a blond with a head of blond hair, golden yellow mottled with the brown of the dirt on the floor.

"Naruto!" For indeed the injured ninja was none other than ANBU Captain of Squadron Five, Uzumaki Naruto. They had been on a mission that was supposed to have been straightforward enough for the duo, though important enough that Gaara had gone on it personally, even with the capable shinobi ready in his village, and even requested of the Fifth Hokage that Naruto came with him.

Gaara was no expert on any type of healing chakra, and he mentally cursed as he realized that Naruto would not be picking himself off the floor without any assistance, even with his power as a Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi.

"Naruto!"

"Hm?" the blond murmured, almost sleepily.

"Naruto, pay attention!"

The blond seemed to snap out of the daze that he was in, and for a moment, the cerulean blue eyes flickered with anxiousness and fear. As it vanished, Naruto said, "I think the kunai's poisoned."

Gaara's own emerald eyes betrayed no emotion, but Naruto recognized the flash of fear, and the tensing of muscles as his friend came to the same conclusion.

"Tug it out."

The redhead stared unblinkingly at him for a moment, before understanding the wisdom in such an action, and nodding. Ripping of part of his shirt, he rumpled it up and held it to Naruto's mouth. "Bite."

Naruto bit into the cloth, knowing that any jostling of the wound would undoubtedly make it more painful than it was at the moment.

"One. Two. Three." Gaara neatly removed the weapon from his friend's side, and watched impassively as his friend hissed in pain. As he gazed at the wound, he saw that it was, indeed, poison that affected his friend so badly.

Naruto, through a haze of pain, noticed that the Sand ninja's hands were shaking every so slightly. "I'll be fine," the blond gave the statement reassuringly, though he had no idea if that would be true. Already he felt dizziness threatening to overcome him., but he knew that Gaara was confused, as he had never been in such a situation before. "If you head west, you should come across a little village. I believe they have a hospital of some sort there. You'll have to carry me though. Try levitating me on your sand or something."

Gaara nodded mechanically. Despite his own worries, he noticed that Naruto was turning an alarming shade of pale. "Hang in there."

Naruto smiled weakly at him, before nodding off.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

As Sabaku no Gaara sat in a chair next to a bed that held the now healing blond, he was still in a state of numbness. From what the healer had told him, it had been a relatively common poison for the area, made from some vicious herbs. The effects had been counteracted, and Gaara had been told that the blond would be perfectly fine, given a due amount of rest.

This little incident reminded the redhead of how much the blond had come to mean to him. Naruto had been the light that brought him out of his ignorant darkness, however cliche that sounded. He had been isolated, hated, detested, and alone in his little word of pain and hatred and maliciousness before the other Jinchuuriki had managed to pull him from the gaping black abyss.

Naruto had broken through the barriers that he had erected, shattering all he ever knew.

But Gaara was sure that this life was one that was better than the one he had lived before. Naruto had shown him how being vicious and bloodthirsty wasn't the right way to live, and sorted him out.

He was Gaara's light.

And it wasn't until he had almost lost Naruto that Sabaku no Gaara vowed to himself that he would be the Uzumaki's protector, the one that kept the blond from the scorn of the world and the pain that threatened to harm his precious person.

As he reviewed the last thought in his head, even one as stoic as Gaara had to suppress a groan. Precious person? 'How...Naruto," the redhead mused silently.

**hm, I really wanted to write about this two again...last chapter was fun, (:**

**Anyways, thanks for reading!**


	13. M is for Mushrooms

**~Mushrooms~**

Haruno Sakura had not ever been particularly fond of the fungi known as the mushroom, despite the fact that it was a common source of nutrition in many of the meals that her mother cooked.

As she grew up, and became a kunoichi for the village of Konoha, Sakura had come to appreciate the various aspects of the mushroom, for it was low in fat and sodium, things that athletes, and of course, ninjas, strove for. It also had nutrients such as selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D, and much more.

However, though the mushroom was very healthy, and contained many of the parts in food that kunoichi adored for their good properties (that helped them keep their figures and strength), Sakura still held no fondness for the mushroom. In fact, she took special care to avoid that specific ingredient in her food, though she knew of the many attributes in it that were beneficial.

That would change today, for Rock Lee had made a personal vow that he would definitely get his cherry-haired girlfriend to fix that "extremely unyouthful part of her diet!", as he had put it.

He had it in mind that as a healthy individual of society, mushrooms were an essential part of a well-balanced diet. Of course, he, as well as Maito Gai, did have a little quirk where they thought all food was completely sacred and deserved to be enjoyed...but that was of no true consequence, of course.

In order to get Sakura to develop a liking of mushrooms, Lee had enlisted the help of an unwillingly Tenten and Neji, the latter of which had begged his cousin to come with them and ensure that things didn't explode. Hyuuga Hinata had a talent for cooking, along with a kind heart and helpful personality, so she had immediately agreed without much fuss, and promised Lee that they would find a dish that Sakura would show the pinkette the "youthful joy of mushrooms", once again in Lee's wording.

After a couple of mishaps, some thrown kunai (courtesy of a certain weapon adoring kunoichi), and oven that had exploded, Hinata managed to prevent any further casualties and make a bento of pork cutlets, sauteed lightly with fresh portobello mushrooms and onions, a sort of yakisoba with plenty of enoki and shiitake, and a savory white button mushrooms soup with egg and corn, with the 'supposed' help of Lee. Well, to be honest, he did cut the onions...and caused seven mishaps with the vegetable, but who's counting?

After she packed it up neatly in a bento, Hinata had smiled sweetly at Lee and wished him luck.

Lee had accepted it with a sincere thank you, and promised to tell her – them, though neither Tenten nor Neji were very interested in his little mushroom missions – about the results.

Then he had skipped off into the sunset, disregarding the fact that it was noon, and the sun should definitely not be setting.

The green clad ninja invited Sakura to lunch, even going so far as to pick her up personally from the hospital that she was currently doing some volunteer hours at.

Sakura had smiled a bit wearily at him, but agreed nonetheless, and was pleasantly surprised to the heat bento that Lee had produced out of nowhere.

That was, until she opened it, and noticed mushrooms in _every single dish_. Suppressing a loud "SHANNARO! NO MUSHROOMS!" that her 'inner Sakura' had supplied as the solution to this very vexing problem, Sakura had merely smiled weakly at her boyfriend, and accepted the chopsticks, very, very slowly.

Normally, Lee would have picked up the signals that she was sending out in protest, from her stiff posture to the fact that she was staring at the box with a fearful emerald gaze, but he was extremely determined to make her eat more healthily – never mind the fact that Sakura ate one of the most well-balanced diets in Konoha, especially compared to one ramen stuffing blond.

And so Lee watched carefully until Sakura hesitantly ate most of the food, the flinch that had occurred with each bite, gradually disappearing.

In the end, his mission was successful, as Haruno Sakura did, indeed, have more mushrooms in her diet from that day forward. On the other hand...

"Lee?"

"Yes, my beautiful blossom?"

"Why do you have a homemade bento from Hyuuga Hinata?"

If Rock Lee had any sense of self preservation, he would have run at the sweetly murmured words.

**Finished! That was surprisingly fast...yup, M for mushrooms. I had a friend who wouldn't touch them for the life of her, and I just remembered that when looking for something for M, and this little thing came to mind. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. N is for Name

**~Name~**

Uchiha Itachi was tired. So very tired. The majority of his life had been spent on a route that he hated simply because of the one thing that he had come to hate the most: his name.

It wasn't his given name that Itachi despised, even if it did translate to weasel, and he had been teased about it before – that is, before he stuck a genin full of senbon two days after he entered the Academy; the insolent twelve-year old had happened to catch him on one of his bad days (the Uchiha had been denied his pocky that morning by his health-conscious mother) and it took everything Itachi had to avoid burning the genin to a crisp. At least the numerous needles hadn't hit anything vital...or at least, too vital.

Anyways, his given name wasn't the reason that Itachi was condemned to the life he had: it was the fact that he was **Uchiha **Itachi that mattered. It was because he belonged to the Uchiha clan that this fate had befallen the elder son of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto.

All his life, from the time he was born, Itachi had had his surname hung over his head. He would always be the heir of the clan, always have a harsh degree of decorum to uphold, always have to do as an Uchiha was expected to, and that was to be impeccable: to never shame himself, and more importantly, his clan.

And it was by his name that Itachi was forced to give up all he knew and cared about despite how sparingly he showed it, including his precious baby brother, who now hated him with every fiber of his revenge-craving being.

Well, at least Sasuke used to. Nowadays, it seemed that his little brother had been spending more and more time in Konoha with a blond, who had finally dragged Sasuke back and convinced his raven best friend to forget avenging, though Itachi wasn't 100% sure that was true.

Either way, Itachi felt that the determination to stay alive to take care of Sasuke in distant, far away places had left him. The younger Uchiha had someone to take care of him now anyways, and Itachi no longer felt compelled to do the horrid things he had done, if only for the protection of the littlest (and only other) Uchiha, in complicated, unbelievable ways.

And so Uchiha Itachi was now going to act on one of the most asinine ideas he had ever beheld, and probably would ever. Clothed in the Akatsuki cloak that he so loathed, the high classed missing nin was doing the one thing that no one sane, let alone a highly wanted enemy of Konoha would do: he was waltzing casually towards his home town.

As for what would and could happen to him, Itachi had a good idea. But the raven man knew one thing: even now, he would be recognized by his **name** and not as Itachi, even in death.

**I was feeling angsty...anyways, Itachi is one of my favorite characters from Naruto, and I just had to include him somehow. How did I do with the characterization? **


	15. O is for Optimism

**~Optimism~**

Hatake Kakashi had been described as many things in his lifetime, but most recently he was depicted as a perverted sensei who read his orange books almost constantly. Though that may be true for some of the time, many forgot that Kakashi had been a talented ANBU, and an extremely jaded ninja.

So when he finally, _finally_ noticed the forlorn expression that the eyes of one of his pupils held, he berated himself harshly for letting his observation skills fall to such a level. Not that said pupil hadn't disguised he true emotions very, very well amidst his cerulean blue eyes, but Kakashi felt ashamed that he hadn't recognized the façade that he knew so well.

After all, it was the one that his teammate and best friend – though he hadn't admitted the latter until well into his career – had used to hide his personal emotions.

Kakashi hadn't noticed it until he finally got to know Uchiha Obito, but the other man, then boy, had always looked extremely happy, bright, and optimistic, no matter what was going on. It wasn't until he finally noticed that, did he realize that the coal shaded onyx eyes of the Uchiha seemed to be tinged with hidden sadness even as his face put on a smile, and he teased Rin and Kakashi endlessly, especially after a particularly hard mission.

A month before Obito's death, Kakashi had snapped moodily at the Uchiha, laden with his own frustrations, asking him why he always looked so freaking happy and optimistic, even if he felt otherwise.

Obito had froze, and his beam had been reduced to a smile. However, this one was truly a sincere expression of emotion, and Obito had asked, "Why are you sad?"

Kakashi had bit back sarcastically, "Not because all those people died, of course."

Obito's reply had him puzzled for months, years on afterwards. "You cry for those that can't. I do the same, in my own way. I smile, I laugh for those that can't do so, and I try to urge them to with my own grins, however much it pains me sometimes."

Kakashi hadn't replied, but rather left wordlessly.

The event had haunted him for such a long time after Uchiha Obito's death.

And now he was seeing it happen all over again, in his own students. Kakashi supposed that the pain of the past had blinded his sight of the future, for he hadn't noticed Uzumaki Naruto's attempts at bringing light into the word of others, despite his own mental and psychological exhaustion. He hadn't noticed that Sasuke had snubbed Naruto as he himself had snubbed Obito so long ago, though there was no hatred, or even dislike between the pairs.

And, as if fate and destiny hated Hatake Kakashi, it was a mere three days after his discovery, after his realization upon seeing Naruto's interactions with his friends, and Kakashi – who had been unable to confront Naruto about the situation before he left on a mission with Sasuke – that Haruno Sakura had rushed to Kakashi's apartment and tearingly informed Kakashi that both of his male students were in the hospital.

The frantic, yet calm looking teacher had leapt across rooftops with his sole female student, reaching the hospital in record time. When he saw Sasuke, sitting with hands clasped together, knuckles white, in the waiting room of the operating room, with no visible injuries except for a bandage on his upper arm, Kakashi felt overwhelmed with relief, and at the same time, dread.

For the expression of the forlorn figure, still dressed in stiff black ANBU clothing, reminded Kakashi of himself so many years ago, except for the fact that Naruto was still alive and though Sasuke was obviously guilt-ridden and depressed, he hadn't fallen into the abyss that Kakashi had once he had been towed back to Konoha by a determined Rin.

"What happened?" Kakashi murmured, voice soft in the endlessly long corridors of the bleak hospital.

Sasuke's voice rang out louder than it should have, echoing off the empty waiting room walls. "We were ambushed. It wasn't supposed to be dangerous, but...they crashed a ton of trees toward us, and I would probably be dead if Naruto hadn't pushed me out of the way. Several tons of woods can do that to a person. They ran." Sasuke's tone was dry, and Kakashi felt a rush of pain.

This was entirely too similar to the fate that had befallen his Team 7, the one led by Namikaze Minato. The personalities of the students were so remarkably similar...It was there and then that Kakashi promised himself that he would do everything in his power to stop Obito's fate from befalling Naruto, as much as he could do now. He would keep Sasuke from suffering a life of guilt and regret, and Sakura from the pain of seeing her teammates fall apart.

Or, at least, Kakashi hoped so. He was afraid it was too late, but at least...

As the eerie light that proclaimed an operation was undergoing its process shown, what seemed like the only light and color in the bleak hallways, Kakashi sighed. "Sasuke, Sakura, I think you need to here this. Years ago, there was a boy who had breezed through his earlier training, and ended up on a genin team..."

His story wore on, a soothing voice telling the two students of their teacher's past, and of the mistakes that he had made. Come to think of it, this was probably the closest that the duo had ever gotten to a parent sharing information, for the Uchiha clan was not a big 'touchy-feeling' kind of a family, and the Haruno family was composed of civilians who were unsure why their daughter had chose the path she did.

And when an exhausted looking, and feeling, Fifth Hokage appeared from within the doorways, hands encased in gloves covered in crimson fluid, the story had ended, and the trepidation had lingered in the air for what felt like hours. A bundled figure was lying on the stretcher, and was wheeled away by a surprisingly stoic Hyuuga Hinata, who looked weary and trying not to burst into tears.

The three had immediately assumed the worst, and leapt up, but Tsunade had given them all a tired smile. "Sakura, get me a private room in ICU available. If he makes it through the night, he'll be clear. There's nothing more I can do." Sorrow was laced into the Hokage's voice.

The 'what if he doesn't?' was left unsaid, though it haunted everyone's minds.

"If you'd like to gather the rest of the rookies, now might be a good time to do it. He's on medication right now, but...I'll decrease the dose, if you'd like a few moments." With that, Tsunade left with Sakura, presumably giving a few final instructions to her apprentice before going to catch a few minutes of rest and allow her chakra reserves to build up again, in case of – Kakashi refused to continue that train of thought.

"Sasuke."

"Hai?" the raven's voice was unusually soft, unusually meek as he responded to his teacher.

"You've seen his smiles. Remedy that, before whatever does happen next," Kakashi's voice remained steady despite his mental and emotional turmoil. He stood, and with one last glance at his pupil, left.

Sasuke continued to sit there, feeling numb. He stared blankly at the wall, and though he heard what Kakashi-sensei had said, he couldn't bring himself to stand up. He sat there until Sakura came to tell him where Naruto had been placed, and that he could visit.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Three months later, Uzumaki Naruto was finally discharged from Konoha's hospital, albeit in a wheelchair and protesting the entire way.

Uchiha Sasuke was pushing the chair, eyes holding a relieved undertone at the blond boy's boisterous voice. He had been at Naruto's bedside for the entirety of those three months, having only left for the rare missions that Tsunade sent him on against his, as well as her, wills; the Hokage couldn't just leave one of her most capable ninja in the village, even if she did sympathize and was grieving and worried herself.

Naruto's other friends had also visited frequently, but Sasuke was the one he saw at his side when he finally awoke from the coma that he had been under. And it was Sasuke who had yelled at him, with Kakashi and Sakura looking on, about being a 'hard-headed, stubborn, asinine dobe', yet had eyes filled with relief.

The Uchiha was the one who had, quietly, after everyone had left, told him, "You don't need to smile for anyone but yourself."

And Sasuke was the one that Naruto had given a soft smile to.

Hatake Kakashi was glad. He might not have been able to save his team, to keep Fate from stealing away his companions one by one in awful, heartbreaking ways, but he was able to save his genin, who were no longer genin, or children anymore.

And even if he couldn't shield them from the harms of being shinobi and kunoichi, Kakashi took heart in the fact that at least he could try and protect them from themselves, and, most importantly, keep them from making the grievous mistakes that he had committed in his youth.

All he could do was be glad that even if he was a fool, who had to learn from his own mistakes, Kakashi would do everything in his power to ensure that his little genin learned from his past errors, however painful they were, instead of their own.

And the jaded ninja supposed that it was all anyone could do, however great their intentions.

**Figures that the longest chapter of my 'scrapbook' would be angst-ridden. Feeling melancholic, which is where this little thing appeared from. Thanks for the comments, I appreciate them. Please do drop one and let me know how you like this chapter. **


	16. P is for Pâtissière

**~Pâtissière~**

When she was a little girl, Haruno Sakura had dreamed of being a pâtissière when she grew up. These hopes originated from the lovely anko dumplings and ichigo daifuku that her mother had crafted from her when she was down, and Sakura adored the little sweets with all of her three year old heart.

Haruno-san had taught her daughter how to make rudimentary sweets at a young age, encouraged by Sakura's sheer will and happiness at creating sweets. She had instructed Sakura on the art of making these desserts, and soon her pinkette was a prodigy, with hands skilled from practice at the mere age of seven.

Sakura adored watching her favorite sweets being shaped from little mounds of ingredients, and never wavered in her ideas about soon owning the best pastry shop in Konoha, as soon as she was able to reach the counter top without a stool, that is.

Without her knowing it, however, Haruno Sakura's future was abruptly changed when she met one Yamanaka Ino. The meeting was by chance, really. It was all because Sakura had wanted to play with the sand in the park, and make sculptures of some recent ideas that she had, but didn't want to waste ingredients on before she perfected the sketch.

She was sitting in the sand, sculpting a slice of cake, complete with strawberry ice cream (made of sand) and cream (also made of sand), when a group of elder children came and kicked over her creation, calling Sakura names and teasing her.

The little pinkette had cried, and attracted the attention of seven year old Ino, who was also at the park, though she was picking flowers by the side instead of playing in the sand. The blond immediately felt protectiveness over the younger, and shorter, girl, and had defended Sakura with a cerulean tinged glare.

The two girls became fast friends, and Sakura found herself taking less and less time making sweets, despite her passion for her craft, and more and more time playing with Ino.

Sakura, with civilian parents, received her first piece of ninja training alongside Ino, who had told her new best friends tons of stories about the wonderful school that she attended, and her aspiring dream to become a kunoichi.

Two months and a fierce argument between Sakura and her parents later, a shy pinkette stood in front of a class of children two years younger than herself, and was introduced. Another month later, and Sakura's hard work and perseverance had boosted her up quickly into the same class that Ino attended, and the two fo them did everything together.

Now, nearly nine years later, Haruno Sakura did not regret her decision. Though she mourned the lost of her formal career as a pâtissière, she loved her friends and job protecting the village as a kunoichi.

Then again, Sakura mused as she gently slid little cups of pudding (Ino's favorite dessert) and sakura daifuku into a prettily wrapped package, she never really did give up her passion. She just gained another one, and an alternative route, as well as a set of friends that she would never give up.

And, Sakura smiled, a best friend that would be hers forever. She washed her hands, changed into a comfortable dress and a pair of heels, and took her gift as she headed off to Ino's house.

'Making your own presents for birthdays sure was convenient,' Sakura thought. 'And ino does love pudding, however much she denies it and claims she wants to lose weight. The pinkette grinned to herself, and continued her easy stroll.

**In case you haven't noticed yet – where have you been? – this is AU. Pretty sure that this didn't happen...but it's AU! And Ino's favorite food is, according to Narutopedia, really pudding. **


	17. Q is for Quintessential

**~Quintessential~**

Hyuuga Hinata was, at the age of twenty one, the quintessential Hyuuga wife. Despite the fact that she had – something that the Elders discussed constantly and almost religiously even four years after the event – married outside of her clan, she was still what most Hyuuga men expected in their wives.

For Hinata was shy, demure, supportive, and obedient, whilst at the same time being a prodigy in her own way, and able to hold her own in most everything. She was talented and brilliant, and completely devoted to her husband, Uzumaki Naruto, despite the fact that the man did not – in any way, shape, or form – possess the standard qualities of the average Hyuuga male.

And Tenten knew that.

She knew what was expected of a Hyuuga wife, yet she knew that she was anything but.

She wasn't shy and demure, and she definitely wasn't afraid to assert her own opinions. She could be supportive, sure, but nine times out of ten was against whatever her husband suggested. Obedience was...just...not Tenten.

And sure, she might be talented, but it wasn't in the way that the Hyuugas expected. Hinata could take down a person in ten seconds flat, and still be able to attend a formal gathering later on without a hair out of place. Tenten could do the same in five seconds flat, but it usually involved blood, gore, and explosions that caused huge messes.

She didn't understand why Neji loved her anyways. After all, he, though he had his own ideals and beliefs and sense, was a Hyuuga.

Still, she did love her husband. And though she was perfectly fine ignoring those old bi – women that gossiped behind her back, Tenten didn't want to damage Neji's reputation – at least, more so than marrying the daughter of a weapons master did.

And so she made attempts to please him, in her own way. That...had rather unfortunate results.

_Take One_.

"Tenten-chan?"

"Hm?" the girl looked up from the cup of tea that she was preparing.

"Er...," the polite Hyuuga heiress had no idea how to voice her concerns, but plowed on determinedly anyways. "Tenten-chan, it would help if you spun the tea cup the slightest bit slower."

"Why?" Tenten asked, finally lifting her eyes of her work and towards Hinata.

"Um...," Hinata stared pointedly at the tea.

Or rather, the now spilled tea that stained her polished floor.

Oops.

_Take Two_.

"Hey, this isn't as bad as I thought! Sort of like putting a really complex weapon together," Tenten exclaimed as she twirled around, flaps of her elegant kimono fluttering around her.

"Tenten-chan!"

"Hm?"

"Please do not do that. That kimono is worth over a million yen."

"...What? This...frilly dress thing?"

"Yes, Tenten-chan."

"...Fine."

She stopped twirling, and spread her arms neatly. "Did I tie the obi correctly?"

Hinata gasped.

Tenten took it as a no. "What did I do wrong?"

"Er...," Hinata stammered.

"Just spit it out, I can take it."

"...Kimonos are tied left over right. You only tie the flaps right over left for funerals."

Tenten groaned.

_Take Three_.

"I'm finished!" Tenten beamed at Hinata as she held up her flower arrangement. "Look at all the pretty colors!"

Hinata resisted the urge to hit her head on her palm. Repeatedly.

"Tenten-chan, did you, by any chance, look at the book on ikebana (_flower arrangement_) that I lent you?" Hinata asked, speaking softly.

"It was too long," Tenten said, dismissing the issue.

"It has the language of the flowers in there," Hinata reminded.

"Flowers can speak?" Tenten stared at Hinata in unconcealed awe.

'Oh dear.'

Hinata just smiled weakly at her older friend, and reached for the book sitting on the floor. She flipped it open to the pages that held Tenten's flower selections.

_Orange lilies symbolizes hatred and disdain._

_Yellow hyacinths are for infidelity and jealousy._

_White roses are in mourning for a dear loved one._

Oops.

Tenten scowled. "They were pretty!"

And so it didn't go on very well. On the last day of her 'lessons' with poor Hinata, she had given up and thanked Hinata for her time and patience before storming out, and impaled a clueless Neji with several pointy weapons when he attempted to ask her whether white or yellow would look better for their new towels.

She was well aware that she was not the quintessential Hyuuga wife, and she burst out in tears for her failures – very uncharacterstically, she knew, but Neji did mean everything to her – and glared at Neji as he was pulling needles out of his arm.

"May I ask what is troubling you?" Neji inquired peaceably, allowing a near imperceptible wince as he tugged out the last needle.

"No!" With that, Tenten rushed into her – their – bedroom, and locked the door.

Neji was locked out for the rest of the day, and night. He ended up sleeping on the couch.

The next day, an extremely irate Neji – who was still tired and achy from being denied his bed – went to Hinata's house and asked her what was wrong, figuring that if anyone besides him knew what was going on with Tenten, she did.

He learned about Tenten's attempts, and despite himself, smiled softly.

Then he went home – after he strode to the main house and Jyuuken'd all of those busybodies, but that was another story...

Positioning himself at the door, hands already ready to form a quick Kaiten should Tenten let loose another hail of senbon, or worse, shuriken and kunai, Neji knocked softly, and called Tenten's name.

"Go away!"

"Tenten?"

"What part of go away do you not understand?" she retorted, and Neji couldn't help but smile.

Sighing, but knowing that Tenten was far too stubborn to open the door herself, Neji mourned the lost of his door before he Jyuuken'd it open.

"Hey! Go away? Ring a bell?" the lump on the bed obviously figured out what Neji had done even without looking at him.

Neji smirked, and crept up to the bundle, pulling of the blankets gently. "All of it. And don't worry. Those Elders won't ever say another derogatory word about you again."

"What did you do?" Tenten peered at Neji suspiciously.

"Nothing." Neji answered immediately.

"Riiight." Tenten sighed softly as she stared at the wall. "I'm a failure. I killed Hinata's tea cup, almost shredded her kimono, and was about to present a flower shrine to hatred, jealousy and death in our house."

Neji blinked. Hinata hadn't mentioned that... "It can't be that bad."

Tenten flopped back down onto the bed from her sitting position. "It is! I'm a failure..."

"You are not a failure," Neji asserted. "If I wanted one of those soft-spoken women who did everything they were told – no offense to them, of course – I wouldn't have married you!"

"Don't remind me," Tenten glared at him.

Neji sighed, shifting to sit next to Tenten. "Your fiery nature and sharp personality is why I married you. That, and the fact that you're _Tenten_."

Tenten stared at him in open awe. "Wow. You didn't even say that when you married me."

Neji rolled his eyes. "You didn't seem like you needed it then. You knew why I loved you, and I never thought that you would doubt yourself. You're not a failure, and you're incredibly talented. Just...not in tea ceremonies and ikebana."

The woman paused for a moment before she sighed. "True...wait, that's true! And one of my talents is deadly accuracy while throwing weapons, right?"

Neji blinked. "Err, yes, why?"

"Those women are going down!" Tenten smirked, and rushed out the door.

"Oh dear," Neji murmured, but smirked anyways. _That_ was his wife.

**I rewrote this. Twice. *glares* You'd better appreciate it...review! Anyways, thanks for reading, do feel free to leave a comment. **


	18. R is for Rain

**~Rain~**

He sighed softly as he stared up at the ceiling. It seemed like he had been doing that quite a lot lately, and it was boring him to death. The copious amounts of water falling out of the sky meant no training. And no training meant staying in his lonesome little apartment with no one for company but his empty ramen cups.

Yet there was this sort of peaceful stillness in the air, something that no one thought Naruto might appreciate, but he did. It was quiet, and the only thing that really made much of a noise was the soft rhythmic pounding of the rain on his flimsy apartment roof.

Despite the boredom that came along with rainy days, there was also an eerie sort of calm that he savored. When he was little, he adored rainy days because it meant most of the other villagers stayed inside, and he was free to roam as he saw fit. As he grew older, Uzumaki Naruto learned to appreciate the symphony of the rainstorms that sometimes appeared in Konoha.

There was the soft eerie glows of bright light, that for some odd reason calmed him. The yellow flashes came regularly, informing the blond of their presence.

And then there were the harsh, beautiful claps of thunder. They shook his old apartment and usually had children diving for cover, but even as a child he had realized that thunder was just another inanimate object, far away and yet so close.

And, of course, the rain. Not just the water rushing down from the sky, but also the drumming sounds that it caused when it fell on roofs, on umbrella tops, and on the ground. It was a soft lullaby that Naruto could partake in for hours as a child, the only soft song that he ever received.

He still did sometimes, on some of the more quiet days that he was stranded at home alone with no one for company. He merely sat there as the rain washed over his village, and he liked to imagine that it washed away all of the impurities, all of the pain, and allowed him to start anew.

He had always thought of rainstorms as rejuvenating, and treated them as such. After rainy days he would brave the civilians to go outside and stare at the pretty creatures that emerged or were disturbed by the falling rain.

But if he really thought about it, he supposed that it was the steadiness of the rain that really calmed him. There were few steadies in a shinobi's life, a world filled with death and guilt and loss. Many of the people that he had always counted on disappeared over the span of his short life in various ways. But the rain always came.

When friends deserted him and mentors were forcibly taken away, in a way the rain was what kept him grounded. It was the soft rhythm that was always there, the hidden away friend that always returned.

It comforted the blond to know that the rain would always come back, no matter what happened.

And as he cast his eyes towards the sky, he mutely wondered why his best friend wasn't willing to be such a constant for him, wasn't willing to stay, if just for him.

**Short one. Then again, they are drabbles…thanks for reading, mind dropping me a review?**


	19. S is for Senbon

**~Senbon~**

Various pairs of eyes stared in a mixture of horror and disbelief.

'This wasn't supposed to happen like this,' ran through the heads of everyone watching with a rapt attention, horrified, _terrified_, and yet unable to look away.

The most shocked of all was one Haku, who was staring at the scene with a guilty, painful variation of the horror that everyone was currently experiencing. 'Why?' he thought, eyes wide.

The ice bloodline limit user was used to the world being unfair; the effeminate male was use to fate and destiny being blind, and not just justice. He was used to good things happening to bad people, was even used to bad things happening to good people.

After all, his mother was innocent, wasn't she? And yet his father had slaughtered her, and almost him, in cold blood after learning of their shared bloodline limit.

But this was just…intolerable, for the world-weary teen. After all, Uzumaki Naruto was the most innocent, pure person Haku had ever met, despite his occupation.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"_Would you like help with that?" _

_Haku looked up to the cerulean blue eyes of an orange jumpsuit wearing child. 'No, not child,' his mind rationalized upon noticing the hitai-ite tied carefully around the ninja's neck. Haku felt a twinge of apprehension at the knowledge that this young one had managed to sneak up on him, an experienced ninja with senses honed by need – running away from hunter nins did that to a person – and warily watched the blond._

"_Would you like help with that?" the blond repeated. _

_Haku was startled out of his thoughts, and he nodded cautiously. 'This was one of the children that were with that copy-nin jounin!' his mind screamed in realization. "Thank you, that would be much appreciated."_

_This was a chance to take a good look at their opponent, and even though Haku had no wish to harm the other boy, it was his duty to Zabuza-sama. _

"_What exactly are you doing? Which herbs are you looking for?"_

_Haku snapped himself out of his traitorous thoughts, and lifted one of the herbs out of his basket. "These. I'm collecting them for a .. friend, of mine."_

_If the blond noticed the pause, he gave no mention of it. He sat down next to Haku, and picked a couple of the herbs, putting them into the basket. "Is he injured? The ones that you're collecting will help him regain his strength, but these—" he gestured towards one that he picked up "—will help stave off infections if it is an open wound."_

_Haku blinked in surprise. Those were actually the herbs that he had planned on picking next. "Aah. How would you know?"_

"_I'm Uzumaki Naruto." The blond gave him a soft smile. "I'm a ninja, but I specialize in field healing."_

"_Haku. That's impressive for one so young," Haku replied softly, completely honest. It was rare that one so young would already be decided in taking a medical profession in the ninja field, especially boys. Of what Haku knew, most young boys wanted 'action'. Then again, Haku himself was medically-oriented; however, he had a prompt that he supposed others wouldn't have had. _

"_Thank you, but it's really nothing." Naruto put a handful of herbs into Haku's basket. "Haku-san…This friend of yours, is it someone that you wish to protect?"_

"_Yes," Haku replied, looking down. "He's someone extremely precious to me. He took me in when I was .. orphaned, and he is still taking care of me. It is only fair that I repay him."_

_Naruto nodded. "I wish that I had someone like that."_

_Haku paused, curious. "Do you not have friends and companions that you are travelling with?"_

_The blond sighed, but leaned down into the grassy ground. "I suppose. They might be precious to me, but I'm not sure if I am to them. My village…does not like me very much. I'm…different from them, I suppose."_

_Haku felt a tinge of sympathy for the other boy. Compassion as well, for didn't that sound like his story before Zabuza-sama had found him?_

"_I'm sure you'll find someone precious to you," Haku encouraged, smiling at the particular, softly-smiling boy with what seemed to be a dark past. _

"_Ha, perhaps," Naruto said. "Still, Haku-san, you've been the person kindest to me in a while."_

_Haku tilted his head in a fraction of confusion. "All I have done is talked with you, Uzumaki-san." He saw a touch of bitterness clouding the other's cerulean blue eyes. _

"_No," Naruto sighed. "You've provided me with some sort of companionship if only for a moment. Thank you, Haku-san. He sat up, and reached into one of his pockets, rummaging around in it. Haku stared at him in a moment of confusion. _

_Naruto picked a few more herbs with his other hand, and placed something into the basket, with the herbs over them. "Please don't open this until I'm gone, Haku-san."_

_Still in a state of curiosity and confusion, Haku nodded. "As you wish."_

"_Thank you," a bright smile was directed his direction. "And Haku-san?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Please be careful in the upcoming battle." _

_Haku started violently, staring at Naruto with wide eyes. 'How does he know?'_

"_Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Don't worry about it. Just be careful, Haku-san," Naruto murmured, standing up and gliding out of the clearing with sure yet soft steps. _

_Before Haku could say anything, Naruto turned around and smiled at Haku. "You might want to dress differently. Someone might take you for a girl if you're not careful."_

_With that, he disappeared. _

_Haku had continued picking herbs for a few moments after Naruto left, but he stopped now, and gently lifted out the object that the blond had placed. A quiet gasp made its way through his lips, and he stared at the packet in his hands. _

_It was a sort of healing powder that all around rejuvenated the person it was used on. But it wasn't that which caught the ice user's attention. Rather, it was that the powder was something that was only created by one, and exceedingly rare. _

_The creator was said to be a petite ANBU member with blond hair, infamous for his healing skills, and creativity when crafting mixes such as what Haku held in his hands. So either Naruto was close to this ANBU member, or he _was_ this ANBU legend. _

_Haku wasn't sure what he preferred, but he knew that Naruto had probably just signed his death warrant if it was the former. Or perhaps even if he was the latter. For Zabuza-sama at full health was…dangerous._

"_Still, why would he do this?"_

_-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-_

Even now, Haku was astonished with the odd actions that Uzumaki Naruto seemed to perform at a whim. During his fight with the two male genin on the opposing team, Haku noticed that Naruto's movements were not flashy or extravagant, but ever motion counted. He recognized that, even if Uchiha didn't, Naruto was taking extra care to ensure Sasuke was not hurt. And though his actions spoke of experience, Naruto never once managed to hit Haku, something that the teen was finding disturbing.

And though there battle was fierce, Haku could tell that Naruto had forced it into a standstill, purposefully. All doubts in his mind that Naruto wasn't this mysterious ANBU healer and just came across the healing powder on accident was dashed from his mind.

Yet, even as Haku realized that he was out of his league, not one shot actually hit him.

It was only until he turned, reaching out to his mentor, trying to get to him in time, and feeling content to protect Zabuza-sama even if it meant his life, that his ice mirrors shattered into a million pieces.

Haku could feel them breaking, even if his eyes were closed in anticipating of the pain, and he couldn't see anything. And yet that dreaded, yet satisfying – Zabuza-sama was safe – pain never hit him. When he opened his eyes what seemed like hour later, he realized why.

For Hatake Kakashi was staring at him – no, at the person in front of him – with a mixture of guilty pain and horror. Time that should have been seconds passed like hours, and Haku couldn't tear his eyes away from the person in front of him.

Hatake-san's Chidori had hit. But it hadn't been Haku who had taken the hit for his Zabuza-sama. And even as he cradled a thin body in his arms, asking the fates why, Haku couldn't help but regret.

And yet the soulful cerulean blue eyes did not hold a hint of resentment.

"I'm sorry," Haku whispered broken to the _child_ in his arms. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," _his_ voice replied softly, coughing wetly. "Be…happy, neh? Take care of your precious one."

"But—"

A hand moved to stop him from continuing.

"Shh. Thank you for being my friend," he managed to murmur out.

When the first "friend" Haku had ever made went limp, he didn't say anything. He got up, gently setting the body onto the floor, and grabbed a few senbon out of his sleeve. With a soft, "thank you," Haku rushed the group of Gato and his men that had arrived.

He would live, if for the relieved, relaxed, and hopeful look in cerulean blue eyes as their color faded.

He would live, for the smiling blond that was perfectly calm on the outside, yet full of internal turmoil.

He would live, for the child that was taken by the vicious world ninjas called home, for the childhood that the child never had, trained as a tool too early.

And he would do it gladly, for it was hope that the sad, understanding child had given him.

Haku received hope in the form of Uzumaki Naruto, a child stolen from the world too young, a child with his childhood cruelly ripped away.

And Haku would live for him, for the hope he received. For the friendship and kindness given, despite the briefness of their meeting.

For Haku himself.

It was only when the vicious massacre of Gato's men was over that Haku noticed an unfamiliar senbon among his supplies, carved with "U.N." into the edge, carefully sharp and perfectly polished.

He realized that it must have been slipped into his pocket during their brief meeting. Haku would smile sadly, and, fingering the senbon, break down.

He would live for the hope Uzumaki Naruto gave him, but that could wait until tomorrow. For now, the tears wouldn't stop…

**I have no words for this one…but this Wave scene was one that I always wanted to write a story on. Why it came out so angsty…I needed a 'S', =_= Well, thanks for reading. I'd appreciate a comment or two.**


	20. T is for Tomatoes

**Warning: Yaoi. Blatant, if not explicit. Don't read if it's not your cup of tea. Thanks.**

**~Tomatoes~**

The room was engulfed in a dark, weary sort of silence. Not one soul, from the near-deranged old woman to the tiny little child cradled in her mother's arms, made a sound. And Uzumaki Naruto found it very odd, considering the fact that they were not under attack from enemy ninja.

After all, they _were_ just in a grocery store, shopping of all things.

They, as in Uchiha-Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto had convinced Sasuke to come and help out, especially when he got home – it sure sounded weird to call the Uchiha Manor home, but Sasuke would have it no other way – and noticed that Sasuke had been surviving off of his stores of tomato beef ramen and tomatoes, and had not bothered – at all – to go grocery shopping.

There were times that Naruto wondered how Sasuke had survived all those years after the Uchiha Massacre. Sure, he kept his home clean enough, but he seemed perfectly all right with eating tomatoes for meals.

Little did Naruto know that Sasuke was a perfectly good cook and just chose not to do anything in the kitchen…

Anyways, Naruto was browsing the supply of fish that the grocery store had – the stores had long since stopped selling him messed up food since he married the Uchiha a year ago, and Naruto wasn't sure whether that was good or bad – when it appeared that the entire store was silent.

Worried – though the likeliness of a ninja attack so deep into Konoha was incredibly slim – Naruto headed in the direction of where he sensed an extremely strong killing intent. Wondering who it could be, he cautiously peered around the shelf, and stared at the scene before him.

One could almost see the dark purple aura that surrounded Uchiha Sasuke. The poor grocery worker that he was talking with was a pale shade, and when he saw Naruto, he sent a pleading glance towards him.

Naruto sighed, but gently set down the things that he had collected in his grocery basket and headed towards them. "Sasuke? Is everything all right?" he asked, voice quiet but firm.

"I'm very sorry, sir," the poor grocery worker murmured, looking down.

"Sasuke, what happened?" Naruto asked, a hint of fond exasperation in his voice.

When the raven didn't answer, the blond turned his blue eyes towards the worker. His cerulean blue eyes were soft though. It appeared that Sasuke had traumatized him enough, whether this incident was or wasn't his fault.

"S-sir, we ran out of tomatoes. We're sorry, but apparently there has been an outbreak of a tomato-eating bug that has destroyed the farmers' entire crop for miles around. There won't be another shipment of tomatoes for at least another month or two."

Oh. That explained the murderous look in Sasuke's eyes. 'Is that the Sharingan?' Naruto thought as he glanced into his husband's eyes.

"We are very sorry!"

Naruto sighed. It seemed that he was getting into these situations more and more, with his more…_intimate_ relationship with Sasuke. He went over to grab his basket, ignoring the terrified glance from the worker. Lifting it to the checkout cashier, who quickly scanned the items, he turned his attention back to … the Sasuke issue.

"Do you have canned tomatoes? Spaghetti sauce? Anything with tomatoes in it?"

"N-no," the man stuttered.

"The bug took out _all_ of the tomato crops?" Naruto asked, rather impressed. He ignored the infamous Uchiha glare that Sasuke sent him, a glare that told him that the raven was anything but.

"Well, no. Just the ones that the farmers within a hundred mile radius are growing," the worker admitted.

Naruto winced, and put a gentle but restraining hand on Sasuke's shoulder, before the Uchiha could do anything rash. And harmful. Or, for that matter, anything that would cost a great deal of money and effort to fix.

"All right, I guess. Thank you." If anything, Naruto had become more polite and reserved towards others, especially since his husband – and Konoha … - needed him to be.

He picked up the grocery bags that he had purchased, and turned to Sasuke. "Let's go, teme. It's not like you can glare the tomatoes out of that man." Said man paled. Naruto sighed at that. "Don't even try."

"Don't order me around, dobe," Sasuke said, turning his attention back to Naruto. "This…person just told me that they. Didn't. Have. Tomatoes."

Naruto rolled his eyes, but dragged Sasuke out of the store. "Seriously. Tomatoes aren't going to fall out of the sky just because you glare this poor grocery store to death, teme."

"What did I say about calling me that, dobe…?" Sasuke turned to glare at Naruto. "I need my tomatoes."

The blond sighed. "You remember that time when I spent the weekend gardening the little patch of ground that your mother left behind? Where you said she used to grow tomatoes and carrots and celery? And tomatoes?"

Sasuke blinked, uncharacteristically taken by surprise. "Hn. Don't tell me you actually got something to grow out of that. Not possible for you, dobe."

Naruto glared at the taller male in sullen silence. "Fine. I won't check to see if they're ripe yet. Which reminds me, have you been watering them and checking them for pests at least once every week? You know that I can't take care of them while I'm on a mission."

"Hn."

"You didn't…did you?"

"Hn."

"ARGH! Teme!"

"…Hn."

Naruto glared at him again. "Then they're probably all dead by now anyways! Idiot…"

"I watered them, Naru-chan."

The blond gaped. "Really?"

"Hn."

"And don't call me that!"

"Hn."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I give up trying to have a conversation with you. You're insufferable without your tomatoes."

"I also haven't had any taste of _you_ in a month…"

A hot red blush painted Naruto's cheeks, and he growled, "Teme," before rushing away, leaving Sasuke with the grocery bags.

Uchiha Sasuke smirked in satisfaction.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Naruto sighed as he leaned into the warmth of the blankets and Sasuke, closing his eyes in blissful satisfaction. He made a sound of discomfort as Sasuke shifted from his position, arms tightening around the blond.

"I want tomatoes."

"That's all you can think about after—!"

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

A week later, when Sasuke came home after training to the tangy smell of tomatoes, he smirked. When he located the source of the smell, the kitchen and a blond that had donned an apron, Sasuke went up to Naruto and wrapped his arms around him.

Naruto squeaked in surprise, and turned from the tomato soup that he was cooking. "What?"

"I thought that they were all out of tomatoes for a hundred mile radius," Sasuke said huskily.

"Well…"

"Thank you," the raven said, and Naruto half turned in shock.

Then he began sputtering, waving his stirring spoon around. "What are you do-? No, don't touch there! Sasuke, I'm cooking! Your tomato soup will—mmph."

Sasuke turned off the burner, and then slipped the lithe blond over his shoulder. "We can eat later…I think I'll have dessert first."

"Teme! Let me go! Hey, stop that…No! St—"

An hour later, and Uchiha Sasuke was happily sated, his husband in his arms. The soup could wait...

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

…**eh. Probably should put a yaoi warning at the top of the page…*scrolls up* **

**Thanks for reading this odd little snippet. The next should be out soon.**


	21. U is for Uxorial

**~Uxorial~**

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Two cups of rice, two cups of water; put the rice in the cooker. Two clusters of broccoli, three hot dogs. Cut into small trees, slice into octopus wieners. A dash of a salt, a touch of pepper, a splash of oil. Two eggs, cracked over the pan smoothed over with oil and fried to a soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside kind of crisp. Shrimp, carrots, sweet potato, peas. Hand breaded with eggs and flour, covered in tempura crumbs, fried to perfection; sauce prepared the night before and placed on the side. Miso soup, stirred and hot and saliva-inducing.

Bento, placed on the counter. Rice spooned and arranged carefully in one of the compartments, sprinkled with black sesame seeds for a soft fragrance and topped off with seasoned cucumbers– no pickled plums, never pickled plums. Octopus wieners with broccoli in another compartment. Tempura placed in the largest, miso soup ladled carefully into a bowl with a lid.

Wrapped delicately in a laced napkin, two sesame dumplings rolled in white sesame seeds, tied off gently to avoid crushing of the little treat.

Cloth ready, printed with a simple yet elegant design of blue flowers. Bento lid secured tightly, soup container placed on top. Dessert dumplings next to the soup. Collapse-able chopsticks added to the neatly created pile, cloth tied in a secure, pretty bow on the very top.

Repeat the process with a cloth of black and crimson flowers.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Tenten panted softly, giving an appraising look before collapsing ungracefully onto the ground with a sigh. "You're so serious all the time, Neji."

"Of course. Would you expect otherwise of me?"

"No," Tenten admitted to her sparring partner. "But I'm so tired today."

"Do not give excuses for your own inability to fight properly. You should have gotten enough rest the night before. A ninja – "

"Must always be prepared," Tenten finished. "Yes, I know. I _will_ beat you tomorrow." She settled into a more comfortable position on the ground. "In the meantime, we should probably stop Gai-sensei and Lee. It's lunch time, and it's likely that they are doing some sort of insane training."

"Hn. Let's go."

The duo found the other half of their team training session scaling the Hokage monument. Tenten looked on in a mix of amazement and wry amusement, before sighing. "Whatever. They'll come down sooner or later. I'm going to go eat lunch."

"Don't be late for the mission later," Neji answered in response.

"As if," Tenten retorted, reaching for one of her scrolls. "See you."

"Hn."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"Wow, Neji, you have such a youthful bento! Surely a person sparkling with the beautiful vehement glory from the springtime of youth made it for you."

Neji choked on his tempura. 'Why in the world am I eating with Gai-sensei and Lee again? Something must have tampered with my fate today.'

"Neji? Are you all right? Oh, perhaps the thought of your beautiful youthful blossom has sent you into the glittering reality called love."

The Hyuuga twitched. "Neji?"

"It's none of your business where I get my lunch. Eat your own, Lee."

"Neji-kun is right! Come, Lee, we must partake in the wonderful youthfulness of this curry!" Gai exclaimed to the sky.

"Hai, Gai-sensei! I will finish this in two minutes, or I will run four hundred laps around Konoha on my hands!"

"Then I will join you, Lee, and run four hundred laps to Suna on one of my hands!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Hyuuga Neji walked away. It was best that he not see the scene that was sure to follow, and he really had no intention of bringing up his lunch. He quickly ate the remainder of the bento, and sealed it back into a scroll. Now, to find some decent company that would actually prove a challenge to his training endeavors.

As he walked through the streets of Konoha, he heard a particularly loud and familiar voice coming from a ramen stand. "Teme! Give me back my ramen!"

"You've had ten bowls already. You'll be sick if you keep eating."

"Give it back!"

Neji sighed. It was a daily occurrence during noon to see Team Seven's two male teens out eating together. Just as much as it was to find Team Ten eating barbecue, and Yuuhi Kurenai and Mitarashi Anko at the dango store, and Tenten with his younger cousin – they actually got along relatively well out of the other kunoichi teens.

Finding no suitable training partner that wasn't eating, Neji headed back to the Hyuuga compound. He could always train alone for the meantime. Better than training with Lee for the moment…

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Meanwhile, Tenten was dutifully ignoring those around her. It was typical of her to eat in a comfortable silence with Hinata the days the Hyuuga wasn't with her team, but today Sakura and Ino had wished to join them as well.

It would have been rude to refuse, and Hinata would have been mortified at anything rude, so Tenten gritted her teeth and tolerated the gossip and chatting that was floating around her. When she unwrapped her bento, she grinned at her two sesame dumplings – her favorite. Ignoring the urge to consume the treats immediately, she carefully opened her bento, putting her chopsticks together.

It wasn't until she took a couple bites of her food that she realized that Sakura and Ino were staring at her. "What?" Tenten asked, swallowing a mouthful of rice.

"That's such a pretty bento! Did you make it for yourself?"

"Ha?"

"Ano…I-I made it for her," Hinata said quietly, knowing that Tenten wouldn't be comfortable answering the question the other two kunoichi had asked.

"It looks brilliant," Sakura commented, Ino nodding.

Tenten sighed softly, putting her head down and continuing to eat. But it really did taste quite good. Quickly consuming the rest of her lunch, she jumped up, wishing to get away from the prying eyes of the pinkette and blonde.

"I'm going to go train. Bye Hinata, Sakura, Ino." She jogged off at a quick pace, wanting to get away from the pressure.

Tenten wondered if they should stop that arrangement. It was making others suspicious.

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"And you know, my blossom, Neji had the most beautiful bento today! Perhaps he is opening up to the world and accepting his youthful side!" Lee commented to Sakura.

The pinkette blinked. It was unlikely that Hyuuga Neji of all people would be willing to accept his 'youthful side'. "Wait, did you say beautiful bento?"

"Yes! Tempura and sesame dumplings and everything! So youthful!"

Sakura ignored the latter comment. 'Wait, didn't Tenten have tempura and sesame dumplings today too? And…Hinata was eating yakisoba…is that a coincidence?'

"Shall we go watch the youthful sunset and bask in its rays?" Lee broke through her thoughts.

"Err…how about we just go watch the sunset…normally?"

Lee nodded, willing to accept that. "Let us go then!"

Still, Sakura wondered…

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"Neh, Neji, maybe we should stop with the bentos. It's making the others suspicious, and I thought that you wanted to keep this –" a gesture, " – a secret for the time being."

"I am not letting you go back to eating yakisoba bread for lunch, and yakisoba for dinner. It's almost as unhealthy as Naruto's ramen for every single meal. It's a wonder he hasn't died of salt poisoning."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with yakisoba."

"How about the amount of sodium in it? The fact that it was no balanced nutritional value and only covers three areas of the food pyramid?"

Tenten had no reply to that. It was true after all. "But that's all I know how to make!"

"Which is why I am making your lunches at the very least," Neji sighed. He had been mortified when he finally noticed that Tenten had yakisoba bread, yakisoba, or cup ramen for lunch most days. It seemed that it was all she could make, and the budget of an average chunin was rather tight.

"It's kind of weird though," Tenten admitted, averting her eyes. "It's usually the girl making the bento, isn't it?"

"You can burn anything."

"Hey! How do I make perfect yakisoba if I burn _everything_ like you say!" Tenten protested, indignant at the false claim. She could easily admit that she wasn't _perfect_ at the culinary arts, but it didn't mean that she could ruin **everything** she cooked.

"Your yakisoba consists of pre-prepared noodles and ready-to-use sauce. The only thing you have to do is boil water, cook the noodles, and mix. Really no better than cup ramen." Neji drawled.

Tenten glared. "Fine!"

Neji smirked, something Tenten recognized now as his version of a smile. "I knew that you would see It my way sooner or later. I am satisfied that it is sooner, for it has saved us both much time and energy."

Tenten rolled her eyes at his arrogance. "Whatever you say. But…thanks."

Neji didn't respond for a moment, and Tenten flushed lightly, looking away. "Of course."

The kunoichi gathered her composure. "Hinata had to cover for you," she commented, grinning.

"It could be worse. And It was. I believe Lee called me – indirectly – 'a person sparkling with the beautiful vehement glory from the springtime of youth'."

Tenten almost died laughing that day. During noon the next day, she realized that her rice was sprinkled liberally with pickled plums.

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**Uxorial means relating to, involving, or characteristic of a wife. A.K.A. Neji in this particular snippet – it is a scene I often see in anime, the girl giving the guy she likes a homemade bento. I thought it would be fun to switch it around.**

**It is recorded on Narutopedia that Tenten's favorite food is sesame dumplings, and she dislikes pickled plums.**

**Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment if you have the time; I would appreciate it.**


	22. V is for Vulpecular

**~Vulpecular~**

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Uchiha Itachi never did particularly like cute furry animals. He was the cold, stoic head of the Uchiha company – which had fallen to him after his parents' murder by his uncle's hands – and his only real goal in life, besides making his family business a success, was keeping some sort of relationship with his adorable younger brother.

Even as a child he found such little creatures rather troublesome and a waste of space – he had no pets to speak of; in fact, the only thing that he even remotely cared about was, as mentioned before, his adorable younger brother.

He did not have a brother complex – he was merely busy and too down to earth for such trivialities. It didn't help that Itachi used to be teased for his given name, which coincidentally meant 'weasel'.

Either way, he had pretty much forsaken the 'aww' factor that most young girls seemed to possess with such little furry creatures. So it was to his adorable younger brother's never ending surprise that he brought home a baby fox one day.

"Itachi, what on earth are you holding?" Sasuke drawled, raising an eyebrow at the whimpering and shaking little creature held in his older brother's arms. It was an extremely odd, never before seen sight – the runt-sized fox kit (seen as such by the strawberry blond fur and ears peeking out that were tipped with shite) was cuddled against the chest of Itachi, who still managed to look as cold and condescending as he always did, dressed in a formal business suit.

"It's raining." The statement was simply that: given in a monotone, deadpanned voice; a voice smooth and dark despite the emotionless tone.

"Yes, and it only rains about four times during a month. You know I am talking about the fox in your arms," Sasuke retorted impatiently. "Where did you get such a thing? It probably has rabies or something, don't bring such a creature into our house – I have to live here with you, and I'd prefer to not die of some fox-carried disease because you decided to bring one home in a rare attempt at philanthropy; or rather, the fox rescue."

"It's raining outside," Itachi repeated, gesturing towards the window. It was indeed raining outside. In fact, it was pouring, water droplets falling down at a rapid pace, turbulent winds whisking to and fro, the clouds dark and heavy. Bright flashes of lightning illuminated the room in an eerie sort of glow, and claps of thunder accented the stormy orchestra. One arm still supporting the little creature – who flinched every time thunder was heard and lightning seen – Itachi used the other to close the dark crimson curtains that framed the windows.

"So?" Sasuke sighed. It wasn't that he was heartless enough to condemn the fox kit to the weather outside – the creature could be placed somewhere to spend the night, at least sheltered from the storm. But it was uncharacteristic of Itachi to care for such a thing; the raven usually walked past any animals placed in cardboard boxes with flimsy blankets on the side of the road. And Sasuke's previous concerns were not to be ignored; what if the fox kit had some form of transmissible disease that humans could catch?

"I couldn't leave it," Itachi explained, a soft undertone coming into his voice. Sasuke blinked. His older brother had left plenty of these creatures right where they were found, even in such a storm. Uchiha Itachi wasn't exactly what most would call a good samaritan even in the best of his dark moods.

Sasuke sighed; however odd the situation was Itachi was never one to change his mind after a decision was made. Sasuke would just have to deal with the aftermath.

After a particularly loud whimper from the little bundle had Sasuke asking emotionlessly, albeit a bit concerned, "Do you think that he's – it is a he, right? – afraid of the storm or something? He keeps making those sounds…" And even the ice cold Sasuke felt a bit of compassion.

The fox kit started yowling at the top of his lungs. Sasuke twitched. There went his compassion towards the strawberry blond fox.

Itachi shrugged, also an uncharacteristic gesture. "I do not know. It might be hungry."

Sasuke cautiously gestured for it to be handed over. Of the two brothers, Sasuke probably had more experience. His nemesis and archrival – not friend, never… – Neji kept a little raccoon that was named Gaara. Despite the Hyuuga's equally cold disposition, with an icy personality that even rivaled the Uchiha brothers, Neji's only explanation was that the raccoon was just too adorable to leave on the streets. Or rather, 'He is a gift from Fate herself. It would be a great insult to her should I reject him,' or something similar to that.

Anyways, Sasuke had spent a weekend or two setting out food for the little raccoon when Neji was out of town without him – something, for some reason that Sasuke could not fathom, happened extremely rarely.

Itachi handed off the bundle with a gentle care that even Sasuke saw rarely. Almost awed by the change in his older brother, Sasuke accepted it. Itachi had used his black handkerchief to tie the creature up in a careful bundle, a testament to his small size. Sasuke placed it on the kitchen bar counter, and directed at Itachi, "Get me some towels and hot water in one of the basins. I don't know how long he would have been outside, but hypothermia is almost inevitable in this sort of weather."

Itachi didn't let like taking orders from his brother, but he knew nothing about breathing creatures. He decided that he could retaliate later, and went after the supplies that Sasuke had asked for, gliding in that perfectly confident pace of his.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was cursing as he pulled open the black handkerchief bundle. Despite the fact that it wasn't easily seen on the cloth because of its color, Sasuke could now tell that the fox kit was heavily maimed – blood had soaked the cloth right through. Both Uchihas had taken the liquid as water, and paid no mind to it, just as they'd mistaken the fox's whimpers as fright of the storm rather than what was probably out of agonizing pain.

Six long gashes marred the fox's muzzle, and they were all still bleeding profusely. In addition to that, someone had purposefully cut a spiral into the soft white part of the fox's stomach; his front right leg and left hind one were broken clean through, with the first break showing some white bone protruding grotesquely out of the poor fox kit.

Sasuke had quickly reached into the cabinet under the sink for the first aid kit, and applied pressure to the still bleeding wounds. He ignored the pained keen from the animal, and fished out his cell phone, hitting a speed dial number.

"Neji!" Sasuke snapped urgently.

"What?" An equally irate voice resounded from the other end of the phone.

"Your cousin is a vet, right?"

"Yes. What do you want this time of the night?" It was eleven o'clock.

"A fox. Bleeding from several gashes profusely, two legs broken, one badly. Probably hypothermia from being left out so long, and who knows what else. Can she fix it?"

Neji let out a soft hiss at the description. His own raccoon had been found in pretty bad shape, and barely pulled through. As the one that cared for and nursed Gaara until he was healthy, it pulled strings in him that were usually left untouched. "I don't know. Sounds bad. I'll call her, but…"

"That's fine," Sasuke replied grimly. It was weird that Itachi would get attached to something, but the loss of the fox kit – for that was probably what would happen – would hit the man rather hard, if for no other reason than that the older Uchiha was possessive as heck. "Thanks."

"Hn." Neji hung up.

By now, Itachi was back with the towels and water. Surprise showed in his face as he recognized the state of the kit, before it was carefully wiped blank. "Will it live?"

Sasuke had no answer for him. "I called Neji. His cousin is a vet, but I don't know."

Itachi sighed, brushing aside a few strands of his long hair. "It would probably be best to wait for her then." He walked over and took hold of the cloth pads that Sasuke was still pressing to the little fox kit. Its eyes held a glassy sheen, and Itachi sighed again. Reaching for some fresh cloth pads, he replaced the ones that were held to the kit. Almost grimacing at the fresh cry of pain, Itachi said grimly, "At least it'll die in a warm place instead of on the street."

Sasuke didn't know what to say to that. They could only wait for Hyuuga Hinata's arrival.

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Uchiha Itachi decided that Hyuuga Hinata wasn't so worthless after all. Well, the little kit had ended up comatose despite the treatment that the vet had given, but at least it wasn't dead. And it had even woken up afterwards.

The little kit, which the Uchihas had decided to name Naruto when he got into their fish cake supplies, had been living with the Uchiha for two months. Not only had Hinata patched the kit up, but had assured Sasuke that it did not carry any sort of life threatening disease.

And despite the trouble that Naruto sometimes caused, he had fit into the Uchiha lifestyle quite nicely. Sasuke fed him two meals a day, and Itachi the last. Naruto would lounge with them while they were home, whether the two Uchiha brothers were doing paperwork or reading newspapers or anything in between.

Naruto slept in Itachi's room at night, and it wasn't even that rare anymore to see Itachi cracking a brief smile at the kit when he hopped up onto black coverlets and curled up on itself, nuzzling next to Itachi.

In fact, the Uchiha household was more peaceful than ever, with the addition of the rambunctious little creature that Itachi had saved that day, despite not even knowing that it was injured.

That is, until the day Sasuke discovered why Neji had treasured Gaara so carefully – almost like a human, and why exactly the two pets that were rescued had such a similar history. Or why that Neji was always a bit edgy around Naruto, but Gaara extremely well to the fox kit whenever Neji visited.

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"Good morning, Master Itachi. I hope you feel well." He had strawberry blond hair, intelligent blue eyes, six scars across his cheeks, and a special liking to curling up on Itachi's bed. Not to mention he was completely naked, of course.

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**I don't know where in the world this came from. I'm not even going to try and comprehend.**

**Vulpecular means of, pertaining to, or like a young fox.**

**Thank you for reading, I'd really appreciate any comments. **


End file.
